Stress Reaction

...no more! Amanda tagged me for my first meme! Yeah! And on books no less. Being the voracious reader that I am, I don't know if this is a blessing or a curse, but here goes...

1. Total Number of Books in Your House:
Easily in the high hundreds! I put myself on a book diet several years ago, not for financial reasons, but because I had nowhere to keep them all. Despite that, I still manage to accumulate four or five new books a month because the library cannot keep up with my varied interests and demands.

2. The Last Book You Bought Was:
I am incapable of buying one book at a time. The last time I shopped for books I took advantage of the Buy 2, Get the 3rd FREE offer at Borders (only I bought 4 and got 2 FREE)! Life of Pi by Yann Martel, Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes, One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, and The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. At the same time I picked up Adobe Photoshop 6.0 Classroom In a Book from the library (which has seriously cut into both my knitting and blogging time, but I am having a blast)!

3. Write down 5 (or 6) books you often read, or that mean a lot to you. (I am a bit embarrassed to admit most of these. I read to relax. If I want to work out, I go to the gym, and I get to be intellectual at work).

-The Bible (the one exception to the relaxation rule, it's soul food).
-Shogun by James Clavell (I have read all 1210 pages at least six times. The ultimate escape novel. I become so immersed in the story, I wouldn't be surprised if I started speaking Japanese).
-The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory (I am all about the historical fiction).
-The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough (I thrive on epic novels).
-Through a Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen
-The Stand by Stephen King (the 'best of' in the opinion of many).
-Time Enough for Love by Robert A. Heinlein (epic sci-fi! Woo-Hoo)!!

OK, I'll stop now, but only cause I have too!

4. Who are you going to pass the stick to (three people) and why?
Difficult, since I'm thinking that I don't really have three regular readers of my neophyte blog (with the exception of the sweetie that tagged me, of course), so if you stumble across here, feel free to chime in (I found this quite entertaining). Jo, Bev, and Nancy, you get tagged by virtue of being kind enough to comment more than once. Have fun!!

This is, in my opinion, absolutely the best Mother's Day present ever! From my adorable third grade son, a bouquet of Promise Posies! Awesome!

The promises are (sic):
1) feed the dogs
2) clen the hous
3) I will not get in a fite with siste

I'm sorry, but that is too funny, and believe it or not, this kid gets all A's and B's. Too cute! Here's hoping each of you received a gift that warmed your heart as much as this did mine!

Sarah rocks my world! My girlfriend Cathy and I treated ourselves to a girls night out with a lavish dinner at a fancy resturant and floor seats at the Sarah McLachlan concert.

It was a totally awesome time! If you ever get the opportunity to see her in concert, I would take it. The setting is intimate, and her songs are so poignant. I'm a sucker for love songs, and that seems to be one of her passions as well. The catch is that it's not all about chocolate and roses. Her lyrics are about life. The poor decisions we make, the losses we suffer, and ultimately, the triumph if we endure.

I think it may be time for rehab! It probably goes something like this: "Hello, my name is Leah, and I am a fiber addict. I buy fiber with such frequency, and in such quantities, that I have on several occasions forgotten which project I had in mind when I placed the order. It has been less than twenty-four hours since my last purchase." Hopefully it won't require any time as an inpatient. They will probably just take away my credit and debit cards, as well as my computer (or at least my cable modem) and put one of those thingies on my car that I have to blow into to prove that I don't have any yarn fiber on my breath before it will start. (This is not as ludicrous as it sounds. I get very intimate with my yarn. But please, no gutter thoughts. I fondle only)!

For your vicarious enjoyment, I give you the following:

Top row, from left to right:
-Classic Elite Yarns Premiere in Tearose tagged for Just Peachy, Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2004
-Dale of Norway Svale in the colors needed for the tank on the left from Dalegarn #143. (The green will be arriving on the 23rd according to UPS along with some Lopi that was backordered).
-Denim Silk by Berroco for a cropped tank from Vogue Knitting Spr/Sum 2003.
-Madil Kid Seta in Pink Cloud. This is slated to become the Cherry Blossom Shawl from IK Spring 2002.
-Sock yarn! There's Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Vera, Black Purl, Blackwatch, and Watercolor, Handpainted Opal Sock Yarn in colors 17, 19 and 20 (shouldn't something this pretty have a name? I am a sucker for creative naming), and Handpainted Twinkletoes from eBay seller lotusblossom in Cranapples, Goldfire, and Autumn2 (now that's what I'm talkin' about)!!
-Finally! The Inky-dinky Spider Stole by Fiddlesticks Knitting. This is a kit that includes 5 skeins of Artisan NZ Merino Lace in Pansy (these suckers are gorgeous but tiny, only 20 grams each). I purchased this kit from The Knitting Zone, and I have to say, these people provide pretty close to instant gratification. I placed my order Sunday May 15th, and it was waiting for me Wednesday May 18th when I got home from work! And the shipping is free over $40. WOO-HOO!!

Amanda is a goddess. She is hosting the Flower Basket Shawl Redux and wowing us with her superb organizational skills. The KAL includes a contest for those of us who finished our FBS by Mother's Day. Readers of clothesknit voted on their favorite FBS and the winners received a fiber prize. Becky justifiably won first place. Colette and I tied for second, which I don't think is too shabby for my first ever lace project. Today I received my booty! (Sorry for the late afternoon shadows. I couldn't wait to share this).

Amanda and I have very similar taste in color! Two hanks of KnitPicks Alpaca Cloud in Iris, and a hank of Halcyon Yarn Victorian Brushed Mohair #110 which looks like a dusty rose to me. Bellissima!

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?
a) I am a yarn snob. I much prefer natural fibers. There are a few exceptions, however. Lion Brand Homespun produces such a soft fabric, I will occasionally use it to make a quick one or two winter scarf. Just cause it feels good. I also use their Kool Wool.

2. Do you spin? Crochet?
a) I do crochet, quite well in fact, and I love old wooden crochet hooks. I can spin, though I haven't practiced it much in the past few years, but I plan on getting some roving and taking it back up.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
a) I don't like the smell of smoke, and angora makes me itch like crazy.

4. How long have you been knitting?
a) I learned to knit over twenty years ago, but I have only been knitting consistently, using any technique other than garter and stockinette stitch, for about three years.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
a) Yes, my Amazon wish list can be found here.

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc).
a) Lavender, Linen, and just about any tropical scent. I avoid food scents with the exception of cinnamon.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
a) Absolutely. I love milk chocolate, gummy bears, jelly bellys, peanut butter cups (yummy)!

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
a) Crochet and cross stitch mainly.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
a) Yes, my computer plays MP3's (as does my iPod and my iPAQ). Sarah McLachlan is probably my favorite. I also like Dido, Jem, Josh Groban, Lucy Kaplansky, Lucinda Williams, Vienna Teng, Sting (this could go on for a while).

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?
a) Pink, all shades. Purple, lavender, blue, green, burgundy, gold. (Such a royal palette)! I am not a fan of orange.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
a) I live with my husband and three school age children. I have two Bichon Frises and an obese guinea pig.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
a) I love learning. I hope all of my children with grow to appreciate and love learning as I do, and continue to find awe and wonder in the world around them.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
a) Wool is number one. I also like Alpaca, silk and cotton as well as blends of those mentioned above. I am not a fan of acrylics.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
a) Cheap synthetics. Angora makes me itch.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
a) Lace and socks.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
a) Stoles, wraps, and socks.

17. What are you knitting right now?
a) Several stoles and scarves, and some socks (Duh)!

18. What do you think about ponchos?
a) I like them, but I haven't completed any (started some, though).

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
a) Circular!

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
a) Addis and Bamboo.

21. Are you a sock knitter?
a) Yep!

22. How did you learn to knit?
a) My mama!

23. How old is your oldest UFO?
a) Almost a year (sorry again, Amy)!

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
a) I like white fluffy animals, hence the Bichon's and "whitelamb". The guinea pig is just fluffy!

25. What is your favorite holiday?
a) Christmas. (I am pretty conventional).

26. Is there anything that you collect?
a) Fiber, antique sewing and crafting tools, old sampler patterns for cross stitch.

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
a) IK, Vogue, Rowan. I would love to have Rebecca!

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on?
a) Any of the Alice Starmore pattern books. (Hey, a girl can dream, right)?
~Knitting Lace: A Workshop with Patterns and Projects.
~Poetry in Stitches. Got it!
~A Treasury of Knitting Patterns, Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns, Charted Knitting Designs: A Third Treasury of Knitting Patterns, A Fourth Treasury of Knitting Patterns, all by Barbara Walker.
~Anything on my Amazon Wishlist!
By no means all inclusive, I would be thrilled with any of the above mentioned books.